Paddle Board With Internal Propulsion Drive

ABSTRACT

A stand-up paddle board having an elongated hull, an internal housing structure formed within the hull, and an electric motor positioned within the internal housing and configured to drive an impeller so as to pull water in through a water inlet and force the water out through an exhaust nozzle so as to propel the stand-up paddle board through the water.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Field of the Disclosure

The subject disclosure relates to an internal propulsion drive system installed within the perimeter of a stand-up paddle board hull.

2. Related Art

Manually propelled stand-up paddle boards have become a popular form of recreation in many venues.

SUMMARY

According to an illustrative embodiment, a propulsion system is built inside the hull of a stand-up paddle board comprising an electric motor with shaft configured to drive an impeller located within an impeller housing. A water duct system is arranged to direct water flow out the back of the hull to thereby propel the paddle board forward. In one application, this propulsion system is designed to augment the effort that the user exerts with a paddle to propel the stand-up paddle board forward.

In one embodiment, the stand-up paddle board has an elongated hull, an internal housing structure formed within the hull, and an electric motor positioned within the internal housing. The electric motor is configured to drive an impeller so as to pull water in through a water inlet and force the water out through an exhaust nozzle so as to propel the stand-up paddle board through the water.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a paddle board with internal propulsion drive according to an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the componentry of an illustrative internal drive mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the componentry of FIG. 3 in an assembled state;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a foldable fin according to an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the foldable fin of FIG. 7 in an extended position; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the foldable fin of FIG. 7 in a folded position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an illustrative internal propulsion system 11 is built inside the hull 13 of a stand-up paddle board 14, which has a suitable tail fin 16. As illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, the propulsion system 11 comprises an electric motor 15 with a drive shaft 17 and an impeller 19. Also shown in these Figures is a removable battery pack 21, a motor controller 23, and a waterproof access hatch 25 which provides access to the internal components. The bottom 27 of the paddle board 14 has a water intake grate 29, which prevents larger pieces of debris from entering the impeller tunnel 31.

The battery pack 21 can be charged using a suitable battery charger and the battery 21 can then be installed under the built-in access hatch 25. Whenever the user wants to use the extra built-in propulsion system 11, he/she can opt to push the switch 35 in the deck 37 of the paddle board 14, which causes the electric motor 21 to drive or rotate the impeller 19 to force water through the tunnel 31 and out the exit nozzle 39 at the aft end of the hull 13.

As further shown in FIGS. 3-5, the illustrative embodiment employs an internal housing structure 40 comprising a battery and motor controller compartment 41, a drive system housing 43, and a collector 45. The fluid discharge nozzle 39 attaches to a rear surface of the collector 45.

In one embodiment, the battery and motor controller compartment 41, the drive system housing 43, the collector 45 and the nozzle 39 may all be formed of a suitable material, for example, plastic or fiberglass material and attached to one another by glue or other suitable means. The battery and motor controller compartment 41 may have suitable divider ribs, e.g. 42, formed on a floor 44 thereof to assist in positioning the battery pack 21 and controller 23. In one embodiment, the battery/motor controller housing 41 is circular in cross-section, as is the collector 45. The drive system housing 43 may be cylindrical in shape in order to house a cylindrical electric motor 15 and cylindrical spacer elements 51, 53.

In one embodiment, the internal housing structure 40 is configured to receive four components: an o-ring 47, the electric motor 15, and the first and second foam spacers 51, 53. A flange 55 is provided to close one end 57 of the drive system housing 43.

In an illustrative embodiment, the hull 13 of the paddle board 14 is formed or molded around the internal housing structure 40 so as to encapsulate the internal housing structure 40. The hull 13 may be formed of suitable material such as fiberglass, plastic, acrylic etc. The electric motor 15, and the first and second spacers 51, 53 are then successively loaded into the drive system housing 43 and the flange 55 fastened in place by suitable fasteners. The drive shaft end 61 of the motor 15 may be dimensioned to abut the oppositely disposed surface of the collector 45 so as to further retain the motor 15 in place. In one embodiment, the drive shaft 17 may be a solid stainless steel rod.

In operation, when the deck switch 35 is depressed, the motor 15 drives the impeller 19, which forces water from the collector 45 out through the nozzle 39, thereby propelling the board through the water. In one embodiment, the motor 15 may be a simple DC brush type motor in which case a dedicated motor controller is not necessary. In another embodiment, a highly efficient brushless motor may be used, which needs a controller. The power requirement for the motor 15 in one embodiment is quite low: on the order of 300-500 W, and a single speed drive system is employed, which simplifies operation and permits the deck switch 35 to be a simple ON/OFF switch. In various embodiments, the impeller 19 may be anywhere between 3″ and 4½″ in diameter with a motor diameter of approximately 80 mm.

The employment of spacers, e.g. 51, 53, and the elongated nature and positioning of the drive system 11 in an illustrative embodiment is based on several factors. First, a person typically stands on a paddle board at a position approximately between 40 and 65 percent of the hull length (as measured from the front of the board). It is preferable not to stand on the hatch 25 since it may not “feel” right. In one embodiment, the hatch 25 is not only a compartment for the battery 21 and the motor controller 23, but serves as a waterproof storage for a cell phone and wallet, for instance. Another factor is weight distribution-having all the drive system weight aft of the board's center of flotation is not ideal for balance.

In one embodiment, the tail fin 16 may be a folding fin. As shown in FIGS. 7-9, the foil shaped fin 16 has a flexible “rubber-like” section 71. The flexible section 71 is molded between a solid section 73 and the fin base 75, which may slide in a so-called “fin box” mounted in the board surface 27. Inside the solid section 73 of the foil is a sliding blade 76 in a rectangular shaped blade slot 77. This blade 75 is spring loaded by a spring 79 which biases the blade 75 to extend through a similar blade slot in the flexible section 71 and into the fin base 75. In this position (FIG. 7), the blade 76 effectively renders the flexible fin section 71 rigid and holds the fin 16 in the extended position. If the user wants to store the board 14, the blade 76 can be slid down by inserting a finger into a finger hole 81 and pushing the blade 76 out of the base 75 upwardly against the spring bias, permitting the flexible section 71 to be folded flat or close to flat against the bottom surface 27 of the board 14, as shown in FIG. 9. In various embodiments, the fin 16 may be held in the folded position by a surrounding cover, a strap, or other suitable mechanism.

In one embodiment, the system may have a safety tether that the user can attach to their ankle or wrist. If the user falls off the board 14, a ball will be pulled out of a socket in the deck 37 of the stand-up paddle board 14 and the drive motor 15 will stop instantly. In one embodiment, the stand-up paddle board 14 may be equipped with a display indicating the amount of battery power remaining in the battery pack 21.

Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A stand-up paddle board comprising: an elongated hull; an internal housing structure formed within the hull and having a water inlet and an exhaust nozzle; and an electric motor positioned in the internal housing and configured to drive an impeller so as to pull water in through said water inlet and force the water out through the exhaust nozzle so as to propel the paddle board through the water.
 2. The stand-up paddle board of claim 1 wherein said internal housing structure comprises a battery and motor controller compartment, a drive system housing, and a collector.
 3. The stand-up paddle board of claim 2 wherein the electric motor is positioned within said drive system housing.
 4. The stand-up paddle board system of claim 3 further comprising a motor controller positioned in said internal housing.
 5. The stand-up paddle board of claim 4 further comprising at least one spacer positioned in said drive housing between said electric motor and said motor controller.
 6. The stand-up paddle board of claim 1 wherein said internal housing structure is formed or molded within said hull during manufacture so as to permanently fix the internal housing structure within the hull.
 7. The stand-up paddle board of claim 5 wherein said internal housing structure is formed or molded within said hull during manufacture so as to permanently fix the internal housing structure within the hull.
 8. The stand-up paddle board of claim 1 further comprising a tail fin having a flexible section enabling the fin to be folded for storage. 